"Thanks again, Zecora!" Twilight put the pouch of tea leaves and buds into her bag and waved the Zebra a goodbye.

"Take care you two! Maybe next time it is I who shall seek something from you?"

Spike closed Zecora's mysteriously shaped door behind them. "I'm always amazed that she's able to speak in rhymes all the time. I didn't even know that was possible." Spike was beside himself for the moment. "Like how does she do it? Not once did she ever act like she didn't know what she was going to say next. She's like a perpetual rhyming machine."

Spike looked for some sign of encouragement from his caretaker and friend. "Right Twilight?"

"Oh yes. Zecora's speech patterns are quite impressive," Twilight slowed her pace. "So what's next, Spike?"

"Uh," Spike's claws opened the scroll in haste. "Buy a pound of mulch from Roseluck's. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Perfect! Roseluck's is right next to Sofas and Quills," Twilight exclaimed. "I remembered I need to buy some new quills and refill the ink containers. I should probably pick up some more scrolls too," Twilight added.

Just then a low rumbling noise sounded while they were standing on the path in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

Spike jumped. "Ah! Timber Wolves!" The sound grew louder.

Twilight was amused. She knew there was no danger. She recognized the sound tiny dragon bellies made when they were hungry. "Oh silly, that's not a timber wolf," Twilight lifted her companion up from underneath her forelegs. "The noise came from here." Twilight gave Spike's tummy a playful little pat.

"Huh," Spike pretended not to be embarrassed about his overreaction. "I guess I am a little hungry."

"Why don't I give you enough bits to buy the mulch and you go to Roseluck's while I'm at Sofa and Quills restocking the library utensils? Then we'll reconvene at the Hayburger for some lunch?"

"Sounds good to me!" Spike tucked the scroll away and the two began their leg of the journey back towards Ponyville's town centre.

When they got there the market was still stirring with transactions. Ponies everywhere were buying, selling, trading, bartering, and galloping to their next endeavor. The crowd consumed all semblance of quietness.

Spike and Twilight were used to the hustle and bustle of the market square by now. They had no problems finding where they needed to go and getting there in two separate pieces.

"Ok Spike," Twilight Sparkle rifled through her saddle bags for some loose change. "Here are five bits. That should cover it. Tell Roseluck I said 'hello', will 'ya?"

"Can do, Princess," Spike held his hand out to receive the bits. He went on his way and left Twilight to go inside the big building that sold sofas and quills. Sofas and Quills... Spike thought. Remind me to browse their sofa selection some time.

Roseluck's gardening stand was just around the corner on the opposite side of the street. Spike had to somehow navigate his way through all the hoof traffic.

Spike didn't care to admit it but he knew this would be much easier with Twilight to ride on. But he was on his own this time.

Ok, it's just like hoofball. Don't get tackled, Spike. A game of hoofball that Spike really couldn't afford to lose.

He put a leg out to cross the street when a pair of large, burly stallions almost flattened him where he stood.

That was close!

Spike made a dash for it. He couldn't see through the crowd but he knew what general direction he needed to go so he just went for it.

"Excuse me", "Oops! Sorry.", "Oh hey I like your hat."

After a series of social faux pas Spike reached the other side. He kissed the path beneath his feet.

"Spike? Is that you?"

Spike recognized the voice as belonging to Rainbow Dash.

"What are you doing kissing the ground?" Rainbow was holding back a laugh.

"Oh, no special reason," Spike fought for what little dignity he had at the moment.

Rainbow Dash was quick to realize the absence of Twilight. You rarely saw one without the other. "Where's Twilight? Why does she have you out here trying to cross the street by yourself?"

So she did know? Then why'd she even ask?

"Twilight's buying some supplies for the castle at Sofas and Quills and she sent me to buy some mulch for our crystal flower bed back home." Spike remembered what he was doing once he said it aloud and began looking for Roseluck's stand.

"Oh, you mind if I tag along? Weather patterns were a breeze today. I'm already done and it's not even lunch yet. I was just on my way to the hayburger to grab a bite." Dash had an air of coolness that always surrounded her when she spoke. Spike was envious of her confidence.

"Sure I don't see why not. Twilight and I were about to meet up at the Hayburger after I bought the mulch." Spike spotted Roseluck's just a few hundred paces in front of him out of Dashie's view.

"You want a ride?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Oh, that's not re-"

But before Spike could answer Rainbow Dash scooped him up and onto her back and took off in a blaze of speed that had Spike at the "Lucky Gardening Grove" faster than he could say "necessary".

Spike's scales were pushed back against his head. "You know you could really hurt somepony?"

"Pfffft. Yeah, hurt somepony all the way onto a Whinnies box!"

"What?"

Just then Roseluck came out from behind the staff door to greet the two shoppers. "Hello Spike! Hello Rainbow Dash! What brings you by today?"

"I need to buy a pound of mulch please," Spike cut to the chase.

"Certainly." The pastel white earth pony grabbed the appropriately sized bag of mulch with her mouth and set it on the counter up above where Spike was too short to see. "That'll be three bits please. How's the garden doing? Did Princess Twilight take my advice?"

"Well the crystal-eyed Susans are coming in slower than we'd like but all of the annuals we planted seem to have taken a liking to their new home." Spike stopped. "And yes talking to them definitely does seem to be doing the trick." Spike reached up with his tippy-toes and set three bits on the counter.

"Just remember flowers and plants need lots of love and attention to grow healthy and strong. If they think they're being ignored they'll be sad and not grow as fast."

"You know they're just plants right?" Rainbow chimed in.

Roseluck appeared sullen. "Just plants?"

Spike was ashamed. He had to admit the idea of talking to flowers to help them grow sounded just as ludicrous as Dash made it out to be. He didn't think of them as living things with feelings at first. Just as pretty things to look at and smell. He felt a little annoyed at himself for being so insensitive.

Just because you can't see life doesn't mean it isn't there...

"Princess Twilight says 'hi' by the way," Spike ignored Rainbow's rude remark who was poking a hoof at a Venus Fly trap beside them on the counter. "She would have came here herself, but she had to pick up a few things at Sofas and Quills and we thought it might be faster and more convenient if we split up."

"Oh that's alright! Tell the princess not to over water the susans. Their roots tend not to need as much water. And they're very easy to over water. Oh but I'm happy to hear your bed of annuals is doing well!"

Roseluck was such a sweetheart. She'd been in business in Ponyville market square for far longer than Spike's even been alive.

"Here take these," Roseluck gave Rainbow Dash and Spike 3 salted caramels. "Please won't you take that to Twilight for me? The other two you two can enjoy!"

Rainbow Dash tossed the tiny bonbon in her mouth and yummed. "Thanks!" she said.

Spike gathered the remaining two in his hand and grabbed the bag of mulch with the other. "I appreciate that Roseluck. It was good to chat with you. Have a nice rest of your day!" Spike smiled at Roseluck. He was always polite when he needed to be. Twilight was strict with him when it came to socializing and behaving in public. Spike supposed that it was because Twilight's parents were the same way.

"Bye Roseluck." Dash turned to follow the baby dragon.

"Goodbye Rainbow Dash! Goodbye baby Spikey!" Roseluck called out right in front of her next customer. The customer snickered into his hoof at the sound of "baby Spikey".

"Man, who told her to call me that?" Spike mumbled under his breath.

"Hey 'baby' Spikey the Hayburger is this way," Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof up to Spike's right.

"Oh yeah, right." That meant Spike unfortunately had to muscle his way through the crowd of ponies that flooded the street in front of him. He was noticeably perturbed.

"Here," Dash extended her hoof out to him. She knew it was hard for him and she wasn't about to tease something he couldn't help, even if he was a wimp. "Climb on."

Spike never turned down a free ride when he was offered. His chubby little legs and short stature made crowd surfing and walking with Twilight's friends hard in and of itself.

"Thanks." Spike still had the caramels and the bits and the mulch in his hands so climbing onto her back was only made easier by stepping onto her wing first.

"Ouch! Hey, careful. These wings aren't doormats you know?"

"Oops. Sorry, Rainbow." Spike clamored on by using a free claw to grip his companion's mane.

"That's better." Rainbow trotted through the market with a baby dragon on her back.

"Excuse me", "Pardon me", "Pegasus coming through", "Future Wonderbolt sensation trying to trot here". Rainbow kind of loved attention. What more convenient way to grab it then scurrying through a market place full of ponies?

Just as the mismatched pair reached the other side they could see the Hayburger and all of its glory. It smelled fantastic.

"The Hayburger!" both ponies said in unison.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in sprinting to the front entrance.

"Wait Dashie- hold on!" Spike pulled her ears back as if they were reins. "I don't want to start eating until Twilight gets here."

"Well who knows how long that'll be?" Rainbow was determined to sink her teeth into a juicy hayburger. "It's not like we're talking about Spitfire, or Fleetfoot, or Soarin, this is Twilight. It could be a whole 'nother 5 minutes before she gets here!"

Just then:

"Why hello there Rainbow Dash!"

Both Spike and Rainbow Dash turned around to see the Princess of Friendship standing right behind them.

"Did you get the mulch, Spike?"

Spike shot Rainbow Dash a smug glance. "Yup!" Spike allowed the smelly bag of mulch to be floated into Twilight's saddle bags. "Oh and here's your change." Twilight curiously floated the two bits up to her face.

"Spike what would I do without you?"

"Aw it was no big deal Twilight," Spike was modest.

"No big deal? When I found him he was barely able to cross the street and kissing the ground on the other side." Rainbow Dash had a laugh much to Spike's chagrin. "It was good that I found him when I did or he may not be standing in front of us right now." Rainbow Dash snickered.

Twilight worried. "Oh Spike you didn't get hurt did you?" She examined him for any scrapes or bruises. "Oh I knew it was too busy a time of day to make you wander the market alone. Next time we'll go together and we can hold hooves, ok?" Spike's cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"Bahahahahaha!" Rainbow cackled at this image.

Both Spike and Twilight looked at her confused. Spike a little more annoyed.

"I'm sorry it's just so funny the thought of Spike holding your hoof. It's like you're his mother or something! A pony and her baby dragon!" Rainbow wiped away the start of tears that had formed in her eyes from laughing.

"Well..." Twilight didn't know what to say. She always actually considered herself to be like a mother figure to Spike. Whoever Spike's real parents were obviously aren't here for him now. When Princess Celestia tasked her to watch him she and the baby hatchling developed an immediate and unbreakable bond that certainly felt familial enough to her.

Spike cut her off, "Hahahaha yeah! A mother pony and baby dragon! That's too rich." Spike egged the rainbow maned pony on in self-defense. He too considered Twilight to resemble his mother since he didn't have any other ponies in his life lining up to fill the spot.

"So," Spike tried to change the subject. "Did you find everything at Sofas and Quills?"

"Oh yes," Twilight began towards the front of the restaurant causing her company to follow close behind. She floated the new quills, ink sacs, and parchment paper in front of them in a careful and tantalizing manner as they walked. "No problems." Twilight, upon putting the items back in her saddle bags, opened the door for them with her magic as well. "How was Roseluck? Did she offer any advice as to why the crystal-eyed Susans are such slow growers?"

"Actually she did," Spike was the first to walk inside the restaurant. He ignored the overpowering smell of goodness to politely keep the conversation he was having with Twilight alive. "She said that you might be over watering them. She also suggested that we continue to talk to them."

Rainbow Dash snickered again.

"Well she hasn't let me down before. Did you tell her I said hello?" Twilight felt bad about not exchanging gardening tips with her face-to-face.

"Yes, and she said hi back. Oh!" Spike remembered he had something in his hand. "This is for you from Roseluck." Spike put the salted caramel candy in Twilight's hoof. "Maybe we want to save them for dessert?"

"Good thinking Spike. That was so sweet of her." Twilight loved doing stuff for her friends. She sometimes forgets how good it feels to get stuff from her friends too.

"Ugh, guys can we cut the mushy-gushy chatter? I'm starving!" Rainbow Dash was only interested in one thing.

"Alright silly filly, simmer down. Let's find a seat." Twilight scanned the restaurant for a vacant section. "Over here you two! This looks like a nice table to eat lunch at." The table was a booth located in the far corner of the room surrounded by patrons on both sides.

Just as they were about to take their seats and start looking at the menu a familiar cowpony called out to them, "Howdy y'all!"

Author's Note

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all related characters, ideas, logos are trademarked and copyrighted by HASBRO.